# A question about the direction of prayer in Islam **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 14, 2012, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-the-direction-of-prayer-in-islam/609518 "2012-01-14T18:16:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2012, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-the-direction-of-prayer-in-islam/609518/21 "2012-01-16T07:07:16Z")
> [@appleciders](#): > > I have no idea if anyone’s ever actually performed ritual prayers inside the Kaaba. I thought that the actual, precise direction of prayer was to the Black Stone, which is set in the cornerstone of the Kaaba itself, but I can’t find a cite for that, so it may be untrue. Well I’m no expert. Wikipedia says that they face the Kaaba, and indeed the Kaaba is the graphic displayed on the Emirates ‘compass’. If one was a Muslim inside the Kaaba, I guess the stone is what one would face, but I don’t actually know for sure. ---
**Author:** ![Dervorin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2012, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-the-direction-of-prayer-in-islam/609518/22 "2012-01-16T07:33:01Z")
> [@straykat23](#): > > In a Hilton Hotel in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia (suburb of Kuala Lumpur), there was an unabtrusive arrow on my room ceiling pointing to the direction of Mecca. Ditto in a Le Meridien in Abu Dhabi. ---
**Author:** ![Philliam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/philliam/32/3011_2.png) [@Philliam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philliam)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2012, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-the-direction-of-prayer-in-islam/609518/23 "2012-01-16T18:41:09Z")
> [@straykat23](#): > > In a Hilton Hotel in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia (suburb of Kuala Lumpur), there was an unabtrusive arrow on my room ceiling pointing to the direction of Mecca. That’s my recollection also of hotel rooms in Malaysia in the 80’s. ---
**Author:** ![Galty\_Boy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7c8e57/32.png) [@Galty\_Boy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Galty_Boy)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2012, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-the-direction-of-prayer-in-islam/609518/24 "2012-01-16T20:58:25Z")
Does God need us punny humans to face in any direction??? He knows where we are at, all he needs is our prayer, not our skills at direction. Why Bow to Mecca?? it is far better to Bow to God, the Black stone is supposed to have come down from Heaven and ‘Floated around’ in the area of the Kaaba, so why worship the black stone? ‘Worship God’ say’s scripture!! ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2012, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-the-direction-of-prayer-in-islam/609518/25 "2012-01-16T21:13:46Z")
> [@Galty\_Boy](#): > > Does God need us punny humans to face in any direction??? He knows where we are at, all he needs is our prayer Why does God need hear our puny prayers? He already knows which of us are devout and what our problems are; he could just pre-emptively fix them. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2012, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-the-direction-of-prayer-in-islam/609518/26 "2012-01-16T21:29:43Z")
Dear Galty Boy and psychonaut, I’m not a mod but I did write the OP. Could I please ask you not to derail this thread? It’s not Great Debates forum, it’s General Questions, I would not like to see arguing over this issue, just information. ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-the-direction-of-prayer-in-islam/609518/27 "2012-01-17T00:26:30Z")
The direction of Mecca from where ever you are, BTW, is called Qibla. ---
**Author:** ![Toucanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Toucanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toucanna)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-the-direction-of-prayer-in-islam/609518/28 "2012-01-17T00:36:19Z")
> [@appleciders](#): > > I have no idea if anyone’s ever actually performed ritual prayers inside the Kaaba. I thought that the actual, precise direction of prayer was to the Black Stone, which is set in the cornerstone of the Kaaba itself, but I can’t find a cite for that, so it may be untrue. My husband, who is Muslim and grew up in Saudi Arabia (but is not a Saudi Arabian citizen) says, one prays towards the Kaaba, and not the Black Stone. One does not pray inside the Kaaba, because one cannot face it from inside it. People will read (selections from) the Koran inside the Kaaba, but not pray inside it. Searching Google for youtube videos of the interior of the Kaaba returns these hits: [Google Search](http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=%22insde+kaaba%22+site%3Awww.youtube.com) ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-the-direction-of-prayer-in-islam/609518/29 "2012-01-17T00:42:38Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Well I’m no expert. Wikipedia says that they face the Kaaba, and indeed the Kaaba is the graphic displayed on the Emirates ‘compass’. If one was a Muslim inside the Kaaba, I guess the stone is what one would face, but I don’t actually know for sure. Yeah. You can see in [this video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-MimunZijM) that there’s a person inside praying more or less toward the south_west_ corner\* at about 2:03, but I don’t know that we’re looking at a regular daily prayer, or a prayer related to something else. \*The Black Stone is in the southeast corner. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-the-direction-of-prayer-in-islam/609518/30 "2012-01-17T01:38:25Z")
> [@Galty\_Boy](#): > > Does God need us punny humans to face in any direction??? He knows where we are at, all he needs is our prayer, not our skills at direction. Why Bow to Mecca?? > it is far better to Bow to God, the Black stone is supposed to have come down from Heaven and ‘Floated around’ in the area of the Kaaba, so why worship the black stone? ‘Worship God’ say’s scripture!! Moderator Note… **Galty Boy**. This isn’t a warning but you’re new here. You need to understand that your post has little to do with the OP. That’s derailing the discussion. If you have something that adds to the question in the OP, fine, post it. But don’t go making extraneous comments. **samclem** , Moderator ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-the-direction-of-prayer-in-islam/609518/31 "2012-01-17T02:35:47Z")
We sure are punny, though. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-the-direction-of-prayer-in-islam/609518/32 "2012-01-17T13:27:02Z")
> [@Toucanna](#): > > My husband, who is Muslim and grew up in Saudi Arabia (but is not a Saudi Arabian citizen) says, one prays towards the Kaaba, and not the Black Stone. One does not pray inside the Kaaba, because one cannot face it from inside it. People will read (selections from) the Koran inside the Kaaba, but not pray inside it. > … My friends report getting into the Kaaba is not all that hard to do. The King and Islamic diplomats make a ceremonial washing of the inside once a year, regular people parade through. Inside, they usually make one bow in each of the four cardinal directions just because it is the only place you can do it. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-the-direction-of-prayer-in-islam/609518/33 "2012-01-17T14:56:43Z")
> [@appleciders](#): > > We sure are punny, though. You think this is something to Mecca joke about? ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-the-direction-of-prayer-in-islam/609518/34 "2012-01-17T15:12:24Z")
[Here’s a site](http://moonsighting.com/qibla.html) discussing the Qibla, or direction toward Mecca. Note the nifty projection map showing curved lines indicating what direction from all over the globe. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-the-direction-of-prayer-in-islam/609518/35 "2012-01-17T15:16:34Z")
A related question: what would a Muslim do if he was at the exact antipodal point to Mecca? A quick check shows that the antipodal point to Mecca is somewhere in the South Pacific. Mostly a vast empty ocean with a few tiny islands, so probably not a big problem, but it’s certainly a possibility for Muslim sailors. I’m guessing the answer is “just pick any direction” since they’re all equally distant. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-the-direction-of-prayer-in-islam/609518/36 "2012-01-17T15:37:52Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > A related question: what would a Muslim do if he was at the exact antipodal point to Mecca? > > A quick check shows that the antipodal point to Mecca is somewhere in the South Pacific. Mostly a vast empty ocean with a few tiny islands, so probably not a big problem, but it’s certainly a possibility for Muslim sailors. > > I’m guessing the answer is “just pick any direction” since they’re all equally distant. _ **They would be travelling and hence exempt.** _. I think this might have been mentioned in this thread. And on countless others.:rolleyes::rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-the-direction-of-prayer-in-islam/609518/37 "2012-01-17T16:26:38Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > _ **They would be travelling and hence exempt.** _. I think this might have been mentioned in this thread. And on countless others.:rolleyes::rolleyes: Go roll your eyes somewhere else. As I said: Mostly a vast empty ocean **with a few tiny islands** , so probably not a big problem, but it’s certainly a possibility for Muslim sailors. I didn’t make it clear that I was positing a shipwrecked Muslim sailor on one of those tiny islands that happened to be at the direct antipode of Mecca. Not travelling but domiciled. Is that pedantic enough for you? ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-the-direction-of-prayer-in-islam/609518/38 "2012-01-17T17:23:34Z")
You don’t have to be physically travelling to come under that ambit. You need to be away from your regular abode. A sailor is by definition away from his regular abode. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-the-direction-of-prayer-in-islam/609518/39 "2012-01-17T18:08:53Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > You don’t have to be physically travelling to come under that ambit. You need to be away from your regular abode. A sailor is by definition away from his regular abode. Then so would be the astronaut. A sailor is working just as much as an astronaut is. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-the-direction-of-prayer-in-islam/609518/40 "2012-01-17T18:11:22Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > _ **They would be travelling and hence exempt.** _. I think this might have been mentioned in this thread. And on countless others.:rolleyes::rolleyes: False. Travelers still have to pray salat. The only concession is to combine four of the five daily salats into two groups of two, resulting in three sessions per day instead of five. To make it more convenient. But all five are still done. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-the-direction-of-prayer-in-islam/609518.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-the-direction-of-prayer-in-islam/609518.md?page=3)